Artificial tooth.



PATENTED FEB. 3, 1903.

W. P. WHEELER.

ARTIFICIAL TOOTH.

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ATEN T ARTIFICIAL TOOTH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 719,964, dated February3, 1903. Application filed March 4, 1902. Serial No. 96,595. (No.model.)

To (0% whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WALTER F. WHEELER, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of Spencer, in the county of Worcester and State ofMassachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in ArtificialTeeth, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The object of the invention is to provide certain new and usefulimprovements in artificial teeth whereby the cost thereof is greatlylessened and at the same time a very strong and durable attaching-studis provided.

The invention consists of novel features and parts and combinations ofthe same, as will be more fully described hereinafter and then pointedout in the claims.-

A practical embodiment of the invention is represented in theaccompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in whichsimilar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all theviews.

Figure 1 is an enlarged sectional side elevation of the tooth-body andsocket. Fig. 2 is an enlarged side elevation of the stud or pin forinsertion in the socket. Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional side elevationof the complete tooth, and Fig. 4 is a perspective view of thesocket.

The artificial tooth shown in Fig. 3 consists, essentially, of atooth-body A, a socket B, immovably held in the tooth-body A, and aretaining stud or pin 0. The tooth-body A is made of porcelain or othersuitable material, and the socket B is placed into the plastic mass ofthe body previous tobaking the same, and the said socket is made ofplatinum or other metal which is less fusible than the tooth-body, sothat when the latter is baked in the usual manner the socket is firmlyembedded in the body. The socket B is formed with a hollowinternally-threaded shank B, flush at the outer end with the rear faceof the tooth-body A, and on the inner end of the said shank B is securedor formed a hollow head B which holds the socket against removal fromthe bodyA. The head B is formed at its middle with an outwardlyextendingco'ne B adapted to be,,engaged by prongs 0, formed on the end of thethreaded shank C of the stud 01' pin 0 at the time the latter is screwedinto the hollow shank B,

the said prongs O spreading outwardly into the on tel" ends of the headB so that the stud or pin is held locked in position in the socket. Thestud O is provided with a suitable head C and the said shank C of thestud fits snugly on the hollow shank B, it being, however, expresslyunderstood that I do not limit myself to any particulartform of theshank C "in cross-section, nor that of the hollow shank B'that is, thescrew-threads on both shank and socket may be omitted, if desired. Bythe arrangement described the head 13 of the socket B forms a retainingmeans for holding the socket in position on the toothbody, and at thesame time the said head forms a retaining means for the prongs C of theshank C to securely hold the stud in position on the socket.

The pin or stud O can be made of any desired metal, preferably, however,one that is considerably less expensive than the one required for thesocket B, and as the latter and the stud do not require to be made ofthe same expensive metal it is evident that the tooth can be verycheaply manufactured.

When forcibly unscrewing the stud C, the prongs C readily compress totheir original position to pass the bore of the socket. The stud G isonly removed in case repairs have to be made. The prongs on the stud andthe cone on the socket may be omitted, if desired.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent-- 1. An artificial tooth having an internallythreadedsocket baked in the tooth-body, and a threaded stud screwing in the saidsocket, the stud having prongs spreading in the socket, to lock the studagainst unscrewing, as set forth.

2. An artificial tooth having an internallythreaded socket in thetooth-body, and a stud 1 screwing into the socket and having aninterlocking engagement at its inner end with the inner endof the saidsocket, as set forth.

3. An artificial tooth having-a socket baked ICO the head of the socketto hold the stud against removal from the socket, as set forth.

4. An artificial tooth having a socket embedded in the tooth-body, thesocket being provided with a projection at its inner end, and a studhaving non-resilient members capable of spreading when the stud ispassed into the socket into engagement with the projection thereof, asset forth.

5. An artificial tooth having a socket embedded in the tooth-body, thesaid socket being provided with a head having a central conicalprojection, and a stud having members capable of spreading when the studis passed into the socket into engagement with the projection of thehead, as set forth.

